ASEAN’s International Partnerships in HADR

challenges of meeting reporting requirements under the Enhanced Transparency Framework and making progress towards the ambition of the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global average temperature increase to well below 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit), preferably to 1.5°Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit), compared to pre-industrial levels. It also develops a methodology to assess the current progress of actions and the need to strengthen them in accordance with transparency and transformation.283

In conjunction with the launch of the ASCCR, ASEAN also kicked off development of the 6th ASEAN State of Environment Report (SOER), after the last one was published in 2017 as part of the commemoration of the Golden Anniversary of ASEAN. The SOER6 plans to add unique features, including key performance indicators to monitor the implementation and progress of the draft ASEAN Strategic Plan on Environment (ASPEN), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and the Paris Agreement. Expected outputs include an ASEAN environmental data monitoring and evaluation framework. The project of SOER6 commenced in June 2021 and is scheduled to be implemented in one year. The 1st SOER was published in 1997 covering the then-seven member-states. The 2nd SOER was published in 2001 covering all ten memberstates, followed by the 3rd SOER in 2006, the 4th SOER in 2009, and the 5th SOER in 2017. The Government of Japan, through the JAIF, supported the development of the 4th and 5th SOER reports. The development of SOER6 will contribute to the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025 and is in line with areas of cooperation outlined in the 23rd ASEAN-Japan Summit on Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.284

ASEAN has developed a number of international partnerships in HADR, as well as in the wider field of DM, beyond the 10 memberstates. In terms of external relations in general, ASEAN has established dialogue partnerships with Australia, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, the U.S., and the United Kingdom. Additionally, it has developed sectoral dialogue partnerships with Norway, Pakistan, Switzerland, and Turkey, as well as development partnerships with Chile, France, Germany, and Italy. ASEAN has also established wider regional cooperation mechanisms, including ASEAN Plus Three (with China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) and the East Asia Summit (with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the U.S.). Other international and regional organizations with which ASEAN has established partnerships include the UN, Pacific Alliance, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).285

As part of the ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook released in 2021, ASEAN is building a resilience coalition with the EU, Pacific Islands Forum, and Pacific Community. It is grounded in complementarity, leverages some interests in shared hazards in the Pacific, and coordinates regional strategies at the global level.286

On 19 February 2021, ASEAN and the Russian Federation signed an MOU on cooperation in the field of DM. The MOU aims to enhance cooperation between ASEAN and Russia in areas such as risk assessment, emergency response, and capacity building. The two sides first started engaging on these issues in 2012, and the MOU marks a milestone in ASEAN’s longstanding and multifaceted dialogue with Russia, which dates to 1991 and encompasses all three pillars of the ASEAN Community (i.e., ASEAN PoliticalSecurity Community, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community).287

ASEAN and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to further enhance collaboration on